FrostyTech.com
Mk.II Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test ResultsResults based on readings from a 38x38mm
copper interface die with 125W heat load on the Mk.II Test Platform.
Thermal Test values for each heatsink were calculated by determining
the rise over ambient temperature at time of test. Information on
Frostytech's test methodology is available
here.

Socket
939/940/754 compatible CPU
heatsinks

Manufacturer:

Model No.:

*Fan Speed:

125W Thermal Test (°C)

Noise Level (dBA)

Noctua

NH-U12

17.5

45.4

Gigabyte

G-Power Pro

high

18.6

71.9

Noctua

NH-U9

18.8

58.4

Coolermaster

Hyper6

high

20.5

54.7

Thermaltake

Venus 12

high

21.7

68.1

ASUS

Starice

high

22.8

67.4

Arctic Cooling

Freezer 64 Pro

23.2

50.9

Coolermaster

Aquagate Mini

high

23.2

59.2

Thermaltake

Polo 735

high

23.4

68.0

Cooljag

SFO-H

high

23.6

60.6

Alpha

PAL-8150

23.7

58.9

Zalman

CNPS9500LED (clip parallel)

high

23.8

50.3

AVC

Z7U3301001 (stock 939)

high

24.6

59.9

Gigabyte

3D Cooler-Ultra

high

24.8

63.0

Scythe

Shogun

high

26.0

45.9

EKL

V8

high

26.3

57.5

Gigabyte

3D Rocket-Pro

high

26.9

56.7

Gigabyte

3D Cooler-Pro

high

27.0

62.5

Spire

SP601B3

28.3

48.9

Ajigo

MF064-074

high

28.8

60.3

Gigabyte

3D-Rocket

28.9

50.7

Vantec

Mach1

high

29.2

56.9

CoolJag

SFO-D(18SC)

29.6

64.0

Arctic Cooling

Alpine 64

30.5

43.9

Zalman

CNPS7000A-Cu

high

30.3

45.2

Dynatron

SK-V24

30.3

56.4

Zalman

CNPS7000-Cu

high

31.0

45.2

Coolermaster

Hyper48

31.7

43.6

Scythe

Kama SCKK1000

31.9

47.5

Scythe

Samurai SCSM1000

high

32.1

51.6

Zalman

CNPS7000B-CU

high

32.3

44.9

Thermaltake

Silentboost K8

32.3

49.7

Jetart

JAX801

33.2

53.5

Dynatron

A22

34.5

44.5

nPowertek

NPH K8-1

34.6

52.2

Ajigo

MF043-044 (stock 754)

35.0

45.4

Verax

Quattro 1

36.9

30.9

Arctic Cooling

Silencer 64 Ultra TC

37.5

55.5

Gigabyte

NeonCooler 8-BL

37.7

42.0

Titan

TTC-K8ATB/825/SC

38.7

63.1

Evercool

K802-715

42.1

51.5

Spire

SP741B3

43.2

45.6

Evercool

Magic Cooler

46.6

55.5

ASUS

Starice

low

92.4+

34.4

125W Thermal Test (°C)

Noise Level (dBA)

*Heatsinks are
ranked according to the 125W Thermal Test results column (rise over
ambient temp.). Low temperatures with low noise levels are considered
best. For reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high
speed (12V) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more
detailed results reside in each specific heatsink
review.

The FrostyTech Mk.II platform stresses each K8-class
heatsink with 125W of heat, and once equilibrium is reached we note the rise in
temperature above that of the ambient temp. So in effect what we're doing is
leveling the playing field and allowing comparisons between each heatsink in
this reference list. The far right column identifies the noise level of each
specific heatsink, and naturally the quieter the better.

With its 80mm fan rotating at ~3500RPM, the
nPowerTek NPH K8-1 heatsink maintains a rise above ambient temperature result of
34.6° C with 52.2 dBA noise. This is considered acceptable performance, but it
is by no means impressive.

Ultimately, our expectations are left a little wanting
with this heatsink from nPowertek. While the NPH K8-1 will keep an Athlon64 processor running, it certainly doesn't have the headroom to handle overclocking or offer any real benefit over what the stock K8 thermal solution provides.

The bottom line is this; there are more compact heatsinks to
choose from that offer better thermal performance with lower noise levels. This
cooler isn't necessarily bad, but it doesn't stand out either.

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